The largest Spanish-language newspaper in the US, the Los Angeles-based La Opinión, has launched a broadside against the CNN journalist Lou Dobbs, accusing him of retailing anti-immigrant opinions that are based on falsehoods.

An editorial states that "in Dobbs's universe, there is a secret Mexican conspiracy to take over the country's southwest". He also argues that Hispanic immigrants "are responsible for many of the country's murders and drunk drivers", that "millions of jobs have been stolen by immigrants", and that "they are responsible for the mortgage crisis and for bringing diseases [including leprosy] into the country."

The paper calls on CNN to investigate "Dobbs's falsehoods" if it wants to maintain its journalistic credibility.

Dobbs, a veteran CNN presenter, has made no secret of his opposition to illegal immigration. In his programme, Lou Dobbs Tonight, he frequently refers to immigration as an "invasion".

He is deeply offended by claims that he is guilty of Hispanophobia, pointing out that his wife, Debi Segura, is a Mexican-American.